Knitting A Hat

#1

[FONT=“Franklin Gothic Medium”]Hello All! I am still very new to knitting. I’ve only knitted one scarf & I’ve started on my second one. Now I want to move on to knitting a hat! I found this pattern: http://stitchnationyarn.com/Patterns/free-pattern-all-day-beret.html I am very confused when it comes to reading the instructions. I bought my needles, then realized after I got home that I’m supposed to have two sets of circular needles? I’m not even sure which needles I’m supposed to be starting with. :shrug: Is this too hard of a first hat project? Should I try to find a different pattern? If not…how do I start? Help, please! :slight_smile: [/FONT]

#2

Well, I am not familiar with your pattern, however, two circular needles may be required because the ribbing is often knitted in a slightly smaller needle to create a snug fit. Reread your pattern and see if this is the case.

#3

You’ll need two circular needles (sizes 5 and 8) and a set of dpn’s. Moni is right that the hat begins with ribbing in k2p2 rib on the smaller size (5) needles and then uses the larger size (8) for the rest of the hat. It’s knit in the round so that as you decrease at the very top of the hat, you’ll get to a point where there are too few sts for the circular needles and that’s when you’ll switch to size 8 dpns.

If you have the size 8 needles, get started by trying the pattern st in a gauge swatch just to make sure the 8’s are the right size for you to use to get 20sts/4inches in the diagonal pattern stitch. Cast on about 24sts and start the diagonal pattern (a multiple of 4sts so 24sts should work). Work that for several inches and then measure how many sts you get over the middle 4 inches of knitting.

#4

I like Bev’s website. She’s got simple, no nonsense patterns. This may be a good place for you as a beginner to start. Her patterns marked K are knitting patterns and C is crochet. Many of these are easy two needle patterns, but they can be knit in the round if you want to.

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/winter.html#bevs

#5

i learnt how to do a hat first by crochet - actually i haven’t knitted a hat yet because i found it so easy to crochet one! you do it in the round, so from the crown of the hat. I found that as a good starting point anyways. :slight_smile:

#6

You can make seamless hats various ways -

1 long circular and do magic loop
2 circulars
Double pointed needles (DPN)
1 16" circular plus DPN

Your choice usually comes down to personal preference. A hat with a lace pattern isn’t difficult, but it may not be the easiest to for the first one. I think a basic stockinette hat is the simplest for the first time. Here’s some basic hat patterns if you like to try one.

http://www.mielkesfarm.com/bsic_hat.htm


http://www.piece-by-piece.net/Patterns/fp46.htm